It is well known in the art to remove labels adhered with pressure-sensitive adhesive to a continuous liner by directing the liner around a sharp bend so that the stiffness of the label in tending to resist bending imposes forces in tension causing at least partial separation of the label leading edge; e.g., Cole U.S. Pat. No. 2,754,994. Employing this principle necessitates maintaining guide control of a portion of the liner downstream (i.e., in advance) of the leading edge of the label.
I have disclosed in my recently filed U.S. patent application entitled Separating Laminated Layers, and hereby incorporated by reference, that leading edges of discrete elements such as label layers may be removed from liner layers to which they are adhered by directing both layers at an end of an element-liner laminate around a sharp bend to cause shearing and lengthwise offset between the layers, and then releasing the end, the overall orientation being such that, upon release of the end, a differential in the forces that tend to straighten the layers drives apart the shear-weakened adhesive bond.
In a U.S. patent application recently filed by Robert H. Parker, entitled Separating Laminated Layers, and hereby incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed practice of my method by bending lengthwise-adjacent portions of the laminate end in opposite directions to produce the shearing and lengthwise offset between layers. Parker's invention included the general conception of using a finger-like element to force the end portion of the laminate into a cavity to produce a 90.degree. bend in one direction next to a 180.degree. bend in the opposite direction.